Ephemeral Darkness of a Terrified Mind
by a blithe soul
Summary: Caroline is an FBI agent working in the most complex case of her life, hunting down a shrewd serial killer. Things turn more complicated as she finds out the hunter becomes the hunted. AU/AH.
1. The Watcher in the Hall

Red or gold, gold or red, the sheer brilliance of the colors consumed his mind, as he struggled to grasp which was more captivating. The golden crown of lustrous hair flowing down her bare back or the crimson fabric clinging to her goddess like structure high-lighting her creamy smooth skin. Or maybe it was the combination of both creating an aura of celestial beauty around her.

She was exquisite and he was enthralled. He followed her every move, as almost all the other men in the huge hall. She left a trail of admirers as she walked off hand in hand with her muscular date.

Never had he felt so captivated by a woman, and a blonde one at that. But she seemed lost in her own thoughts. He itched to know about the thoughts she seemed so lost in.

* * *

"Caroline, Caroline ! Are you even here ? You didn't bring me here so that we keep standing all night, did you ?"

He didn't mean to be rude. But her behavior was testing his patience. He knew she only came because her boss insisted and was having a tough time at work and that was probably what she was still thinking about, but this was a night off and he expected it to be a good one.

"Huh ? What ? What is your problem? If you're bored then you can go home"

Her words slightly shocked him, he didn't expect her to answer in such a manner.

She sighed, she was losing it.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Tyler, I didn't mean it like that. You know I'm having a tough time at work, it's just the stress" She said in a low voice. She took his hands in hers and dragged him towards the dance floor. "I'll make it up to you, lets dance" She said with a smile.

* * *

Her smile was perhaps one of the most beautiful things he has come across in his life. She was full of light and her smile was one which could probably stop wars, brighten a dull day and warm even the coldest hearts. If a fake smile of hers had such intense beauty, what could a real one do, he mused.

He was sure, the smile she had on was a fake one. He understood women. He had spent a huge portion of his life in studying the so-called complex minded women. Of all the women he studied, he found, almost all of them to be the same, despite the claims of being different each made.

He wondered if she was like the rest. Perhaps, her beauty was her only asset. Was her mind as brilliant as her beauty ? He burned to know. He had to talk to her. A small conversation should be enough to give him a glimpse of her mind.

He made his was over to talk to her. He almost reached her but halted in his steps as he saw who approached her.

* * *

The dancing couple was suddenly interrupted from their dance, as Tyler felt a tap on his shoulders.

"Excuse me,I have to borrow Agent Forbes "

"Why? " Caroline replied, before Tyler could. It was Klaus, her new team member.

"Alaric has called us , something's come up" His grave voice gave her an idea of what that might be and she prayed that she was wrong.

She sighed, "okay"

She turned to Tyler, " I'm sorry, again. I've to go,I might be late. Why don't you go home ? I'll see you later " She said with an apologetic smile. She really was sorry. Tyler was a great guy and he deserved better, at least better than what she was giving him.

"Its okay, I'll see you later" Tyler said. He gave her a small kiss and walked away.

Caroline to turned to Klaus.

"What is it ? Did they find another one ?"

"I don't really know but from the sound of Alaric's voice I think it is another one"

"Hmm, it's getting worse then, lets go".

Both of them entered a room revealing Alaric and their other team members, Damon Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore, Katherine Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett. All of them wore grave expressions, confirming Caroline's suspicions.

Klaus spoke up, "What happened,Alaric?"

Alaric quietly passed the tablet he was holding towards Klaus. Both Klaus and Caroline looked at the screen and their expressions turned into a revolted one as they took in the image before them . The screen showed the body of a girl dressed in a beautiful white dress lying on the ground. The photo would have been a normal one if not for the gaping hole with a heart sticking out from the girls back.

* * *

If he was interested in this girl before, then his interest in her increased ten folds within the last 2 minutes . So she was not a dumb blonde like he thought she might be. She was an agent. She worked for the FBI._ Interesting_.

He smiled to himself. Looked like, he was finally about to have some fun. He had to gather more information about her. And he knew just where to start.

* * *

**So this is another attempt at a fic . This plot has been in my mind for a while and i tried my best to justify my imagination with my words. Hope this interests you. Feel free to express your views and provide suggestions. This is un-beta'd so apologizing for any mistake i made. **


	2. The Call

The cold water ran down her body. It felt soothing though it failed to calm her agitated mind. Things were beyond control. She looked at her wrinkled fingers, they were shaking. She slammed her fists on the wall. It was all too much. It's been 3 months and they had nothing. The stress at work and the frustration of being at square one and to top it all, _the call_.

She was going to lose it.

She came out of the shower clad in a towel, to find her boy friend sitting on the bed facing her. He wore a tensed look.

"You were gone, again" The accusation evident from his tone, yet he sounded tired or maybe it was frustration.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep"

"You should've woken me up then. We could have done something together or I could've joined you for the walk"

"I don't walk, I run. You seemed tired, and I didn't want to bother you"

He said nothing in response. He just kept looking at her, and as did she . Moments transpired in silence, and none stirred or looked away.

The silence was deafening as realizations came crashing down on both. Their simple and beautiful relationship had come to its end. The spark wasn't there and neither was the attraction.

Both waited for the other speak and state the obvious, but neither did.

After a while, Caroline finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry, you're probably tired of listening to my apologies all the time. But this isn't working anymore and I know it's my fault. The stress at work, this case, I can't handle this relationship now, I am truly sorry"

Tyler let out a deep breath. He just kept looking at her with a pained expression. Sure their relationship was going haywire but that didn't stop making him feel. And no matter what, he cared for her, it might not be love, but he liked her, a lot. So it did hurt, the sudden realization, and the even more sudden break-up.

She got more anxious as each second passed by. Was he going to do something ? She knew he liked her, but they were dating for 8 months or so, it wasn't even that long, surely his feelings weren't that intense and strong that he'd act out. But you never know, with mentally ill people. God, what if he was mentally ill, what if he was a psychopath ?!

She dealt with psychopaths daily, one minute they're normal, next minute they're slashing your throats.

His voice shook her out of her crazy thoughts. He was standing. If he attacked her, she could take him down despite his muscular structure. He had the body, but she had training. The only problem would be her lack of clothing. Well, that could actually work as an advantage for her.

"..Its okay though. Good luck with your case and I will miss you" He said softly.

She only caught a few of his words due to her wild musings. Before she realized , he came forward, kissed her cheeks and left the room taking his pants and jacket.

She had gone_ bonkers_, she mused.

* * *

"Coffee for the beautiful lady"

She looked at the coffee mug at Klaus's hand. Some caffeine could work like magic during such a hectic time.

"Thanks. I really needed that" She said as she took the coffee from him.

He sat down beside her.

"I can see that, you look like you haven't slept for days"

"It's just two nights, do I look that bad ?" She asked with horrified look and formed a slight pout . Yes, she was sleep-deprived but she thought she had expertly hid all signs.

He laughed at her expression.

"What's so funny?" She looked at him with a dumb expression, which in turn made him laugh even more. She was adorable when she was irritated and she had no idea.

"Seriously ? Are you mad ? Laughing like a maniac without any reason !" She said ,slightly angry.

"No love, you look beautiful, as usual" and suddenly he was serious, and said it with such intensity that it made her cheeks turn a deep hue of pink.

"Umm, Thanks" She said shyly.

The sudden ringing of the telephone made her jump out of her seat. For a strange reason, her blood ran cold, as she remembered the call from two nights before.

* * *

_2 nights before.._

_The phone kept ringing incessantly. She tried to ignore it, thinking it would stop eventually. But it didn't. She groaned as she got up, cursing the bastard who called her in the middle of the night and disrupted her peaceful slumber._

_"Hello" She said in raspy sleepy _

_"Hello, Caroline?" The voice was mechanical. _

_And suddenly she wasn't sleepy anymore. Somebody called her at 2 in the morning and was using machine to speak to her ? What the hell was going on ? Was that someone's idea of a joke ?_

_"Caroline?" The voice spoke again._

_"Who is this ?" She asked._

_"So it is Caroline , good to finally speak to you agent Forbes"_

_This call just went from a shocking one to a disturbing one. No one called her agent Forbes besides her colleagues . _

_"I wish I could say the same, Mr.. ?" She played a hunch. It was likely it was a guy, if not, then the person's response would give her an answer anyway._

_The voice laughed. It was a guy. That was one step._

_"Why don't you take a guess ? I think you already know the answer, you're a smart woman"_

_Her blood ran cold. It couldn't be ! How ? Why would he call her ? _

_She gave a soft laugh._

_"Well, I must be really smart then if it really is you. Recognition from the likes of you was not something I ever anticipated"_

_"Likes of me ? What do you mean ?" The voice seemed slightly surprised._

_"What do you think Agent Forbes could mean ?" She challenged him. _

_"You do realize who you're talking to, right ?"_

_"Of course ! You're quite desperate to make it evident" She was playing with fire and she knew it. But it really was him then she just stumbled upon something huge._

_The voice smirked. _

_"Hmm, maybe I want recognition from you " he replied._

_"Recognition? Recognition requires a name" She wanted to him to admit it. She needed a confirmation of her suspicions. _

_"I think 'the heartless butcher' should suffice" he said, emphasizing on 'the heartless butcher'._

_Her heart began beating faster. It was him ! The man she and her team had been hunting for months and now she was on the phone talking to him. She felt anxious and excited at the same time. This was huge !_

_"Well, a real name would have been better" She responded as calm as she could manage._

_"The nick name you people have given me has to work now"_

_"Why ? Are you afraid to reveal yourself ? Silly me ! Of course you are !" She said with a laughter._

_"Your laughter is beautiful Caroline" He said in a certain serious manner that it shocked and unnerved her._

_"Thank you, a compliment from you, that was all that was left for me to hear" She responded sarcastically, desperately trying to stay calm._

_"Welcome, and yes, I am afraid of you. But it has little to do with your profession and more to do with you"_

_"What do you mean ?" The question was out before she could stop it. She was losing control of the conversation._

_"I have seen many women, rare beauty, genuine beauty, raw beauty but never some one with such complete beauty as yours, none could hold a candle to you. I was mesmerized the moment I saw you in that divine crimson dress in the ball . And it is evident you have brains to match your beauty. You're a deadly combination, Caroline Forbes and I'm afraid of your effect on me"_

_She was startled by his words. The tone made it evident that he was confessing the truth. He wasn't playing with her. He was confessing, his feelings, his fears. She stood motionlessly, unable to respond._

_"You've consumed my mind, I'll consume your life" He said ominously and such confidence that for the first time in her life she felt powerless and terrified._

_"You kill brunettes" She responded lamely, without thinking._

_"I won't kill you. You're mine now Caroline, you'll find a piece of me in every inch of your life just like I find you in every crevice of mine" _

_The phone shook in her hands as she listened to what he said. She lost her voice and words._

_"Our time is up for today, good-bye Caroline" And the line went dead._

_She stood like a statue holding the phone for a while, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She sat down on the floor as she felt her legs give up._

_She finally got up and took a shower. She lied on the bed and tried to sleep. She didn't get any sleep that night._

* * *

**A/N:**

**So this is the second chapter, hope you liked it. Feel free to express your opinions and suggest your ideas. Thank you to those who took the to read and review the story.**

******cupcakesweetheart5** : Thanks ! Well, You have to wait a while to be sure whether or not it's Klaus :P

**Grace5231973 : Thank you ! :) Well, you can't really be sure about that *mysterious evil smile***

**Clara : Thank you..i will try to correct my mistakes.**

**Erica : Hi Erica :D Glad you reviewed my fic :) Well, this "he" being Klaus or not is a mystery for now but I'll clear the clouds pretty soon ;) Hope you like this chapter :)**


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